For those of you (and by you I mean us) who don't have plans for celebrating Labor Day, we will be hosting an end-of-summer bonfire.

Come and go throughout the evening as you like--we'll open the gates to the backyard around 4:30.

We have main dish, water and iced tea. So far friends have offered to bring stuff for s'mores, and potatoes to go with our main "dish" (weather permitting hot dogs on the fire, or weather not permitting chicken & pork chops on the grill).

Let me know if you're coming so I can prep enough main dish.

Never too old to play

This vintage playground equipment is at our new favorite beach location. We hope no one else ever finds out about this beach so we can keep it all to ourselves... mwoooo-haaaa-haaaaa.

Pride falleth before a picnic

Tonight we are hosting a neighborhood picnic. In our backyard. Because we are the only home on our side of the street with a playset in the backyard. And because the only two others willing to host it have experienced unexpected tragedies within the past week--one had her baby 2 months prematurely, and the other fell out of a tree and broke his wrist and hip and is in a wheelchair.

SO, Yesterday one neighbor dropped off all the food and paper goods. Another used his chain saw to cut the tree we felled last weekend into firewood, and another helped go get tables and a tent to erect.

Dan's worked his tail off power-washing the deck and we split the big job of mowing the lawn. I've got food prep well under control. I'll spend an hour cleaning the bathroom that nosey neighbors will "need" to use in order to come see our house, but we're not stressing about making everything perfect. We know our yard isn't a landscaper's dream and our house isn't spotless. But we're ok with both of those.

(We keep telling ourselves) What matters is that we are willing to make sure everyone gets a chance to be together over a bite. Lets hope all the bites are made into food, and not comments. We're anticipating lots of "advice" on improvements...and comments on weeds...and...and...and...oh well!

Know anyone amazing?

Do you know any amazing women making a difference that you could nominate for a $20k prize? If so, please nominate her for this Montel Williams voices program here.

I have indirectly been a recipient of one of these women. A nurse at the PPD support group I attend in downtown GR won this prize 6 years ago and is still using the $20k grant to provide books, resources, and massage therapy to the people who attend her group.

Most recent read

The Vicar of Wakefield by Oliver Goldsmith

My review:

Quaint. Querulous. Queer.
Charming. Disarming. Alarming.
Virtuous. Flirtuous.
Expressive. Repressive. Excessive.
Moral. Banal. Floral. Torrid.
Scandalous. Spectacular. Supercilious.

About the author: Oliver Goldsmith (November 10, 1730 or 1728 – April 4, 1774) was an Irish writer, poet, and physician known for his novel The Vicar of Wakefield (1766), his pastoral poem The Deserted Village (1770) (written in memory of his brother), and his plays The Good-natur'd Man (1768) and She Stoops to Conquer (1771, first performed in 1773).

(He is also thought to have written the classic children's tale, The History of Little Goody Two Shoes, giving the world that familiar phrase.)From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia.

Apology accepted?

I have more stuff to do than time to write these days, and if I ever get a few minutes to write, I'm doing it over here...check it out.

More later,
Jenna

What would you name it?

Wow! Full log home centered on a beautiful ten acre parcel only 5 minutes from Public Beach with low maintenance landscaping (some lawn, lots of dune grass). Full length covered porch overlooks pond. A public boat launch is just a couple miles away and there are bike paths that go for miles and miles. -- Park, and 2 other newer parks are very close for cross country skiing and hiking too. You really must see this remarkable property. This home would cost over $1 million to duplicate. Super energy efficient. High speed internet dish just installed. Exterior logs were just stained. Walkout lower level is finished and has extra storage and a workshop as well. You'll love the back sunroom off the dining area that can be turned into a screened porch overlooking the wooded back yard. There's a large back deck with hot tub off the master suite and many French doors for ample light.

Jenna-0, Bee-1

After hoisting our neighbor's magnanimously huge ladder up to the side of our house and getting it safely adjusted (after wedging one leg up on a wooden block--that's safe, right?), I intrepidly began to climb. I had a snow brush/ice scraper in one hand and a can of cheap-o bee spray in the other. I started banging around in the formerly bee-infested eave (we've been spraying it for 3 days now) and low and behold about 5 bees flew out. One stung me on my elbow--which I had instinctively raised in front of my face while squealing like a girl.

Now, you must know, my mother is deathly allergic to bees. She has to carry an Epi-pen bee sting kit with her at all times and administer a shot within 20 minutes of her sting in order for her throat not to close and suffocate her. I have wondered my whole life whether or not I would have to do the same.

Back to my stinging story. I checked my arm to make sure the bee and stinger weren't lodged in my arm, then my adrenaline kicked in. I decided that even if I only had 20 minutes left to live, at least I'd make sure the bees nest was taken care of. I ran inside the house, found some Children's Benadryl in the medicine cabinet and took a way-too-huge swig.

I decided that if I was gonna take one for the team, at least I'd finish the game and come out the winner. With the clock ticking, I went back outside to the ladder, and armed with Dan's bike flashlight in my mouth and his wooden hockey stick, I wreaked havoc on the bees nests. There were two bee nests each the size of salad plates that I scraped out of the eaves, picked up with tongs and tied up in plastic bags, then deposited in the garbage can. I climbed the ladder once more, sprayed the area again, then climbed down the ladder to find someone to tell about my fatal sting when I realized I was breathing just fine, a little tingly from the adrenaline (and Benadryl), but not headed for the grave just yet.

And now I understand why Dan dances, screams, and shouts when he gets a sting, and why they are called a sting, those things HURT! But at least there are a few hundred less bees in our neighborhood.

In all seriousness

Hi everyone,

God is definitely orchestrating the timing and placement of Life After Baby (LAB) support group. We are a Postpartum Support International (PSI) group, and so thankful to Ada Bible Church for allowing us to use their space to meet every 1st, 3rd, and 5th Monday of the month with the 1st Monday of every month especially organized as a "Family Night".

You are officially invited to our first meeting on Monday, August 6 at Ada Bible Church from 7-9pm. Ada's address is 8899 Cascade Rd SE, Ada, MI 49301. Nancy Roberts, RN from Spectrum Health who has founded the Spectrum Health "This isn't what I expected" support group has agreed to lead our first meeting. For comfort of new mommies with babies, we'll be meeting in the nursery, so access to rocking chairs, diaper changing, bottle warmers, sinks, bouncy seats, etc is right at our fingertips.

If you're an expectant mommy or daddy, we are especially excited to have you come and develop your support network before your little one arrives.

The purpose of this group is to provide an avenue for community, support, resources, education, and encouragement within the context of the truth of God's Word. Our mission is to help families cope with the stressful complications of welcoming new babies by providing a safe place for respectful sharing while maintaining utmost confidentiality in who attends and what is discussed.

There is no fee, no need to register, just come. Please spread this invitation to others you know who might benefit from LAB group. We are so thrilled to connect families to care and resources and help each other know that YES, there IS life after baby!

Cordially,
Jenna Scott

Jesus said "I have come that they might have life, and have it more abundantly."
John 10:10b